Bill Text: MS SB2352 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: School Textbook Fund; clarify purposes for which funds may be used.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2013-02-05 - Died In Committee [SB2352 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2013-SB2352-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2013 Regular Session
To: Education
By: Senator(s) Jones
Senate Bill 2352
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-43-41, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CLARIFY THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH MONIES IN THE STATE TEXTBOOK FUND SHALL BE USED; TO AMEND SECTION 37-43-43, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PRESCRIBE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH MONIES DEPOSITED IN THE FUND COLLECTED FROM NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR LOST OR DAMAGED BOOKS MAY BE USED; TO AMEND SECTION 37-43-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO INCLUDE ANY MEDIUM OR MANUAL OF INSTRUCTION IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT IN THE DEFINITION OF TEXTBOOK; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 37-43-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-43-41. (1) The State Textbook Fund of Mississippi shall consist of the amounts appropriated by the Legislature for the same, all monies accruing from the sale of disused books from other than public schools, all monies derived from the purchase of books by both public and private schools trustees, and by private individuals, all monies collected in damage suits under the terms of this chapter, and all other monies collected in any way whatsoever under the terms of this chapter for the purchase of textbooks as defined and authorized under this chapter.
(2) There is hereby
created a special fund in the State Treasury to be designated as the
"Local School District Textbook Carryover Fund." * * * The fund shall be credited with
any funds which were appropriated by the Legislature to the State Textbook Fund
for any fiscal year in which said funds were allocated to local school
districts but unexpended by said districts. * * * The unexpended funds shall be
deposited by the board into the Local School District Textbook Carryover Fund
to the credit of the local school districts which were originally allocated
such funds. All carryover funds which exist on June 30, 1994 which belong to
public school districts shall be disbursed to the respective school districts.
Carryover funds for other than public schools shall be handled in the same
manner as previously described in this section.
SECTION 2. Section 37-43-43, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-43-43. The State Superintendent of Public Education shall deposit all funds sent to him from non-public schools for lost books or damaged books as well as all other funds accruing under this chapter in the State Treasury to the credit of the State Textbook Fund for purposes of the effective implementation of Section 37-43-41(1) and the purchase of educational technology infrastructure upgrades, hardware purchases, educator training and electronic textbooks.
SECTION 3. Section 37-43-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-43-1. (1) This chapter is intended to furnish a plan for the adoption, purchase, distribution, care and use of free textbooks to be loaned to the pupils in all elementary and high schools of Mississippi.
(2) The books herein provided by the State Board of Education, which shall be the State Textbook Procurement Commission, shall be distributed and loaned free of cost to the children of the free public schools of the state and of all other schools located in the state, which maintain educational standards equivalent to the standards established by the State Department of Education for the state schools as outlined in the Approval Requirements of the State Board of Education for Nonpublic Schools.
(3) Teachers shall permit all pupils in all grades of any public school to carry to their homes for home study, the free textbooks loaned to them, and any other regular textbooks whether they be free textbooks or not.
(4) For the purposes of this chapter, the term "board" shall mean the State Board of Education.
(5) "Textbook" shall be defined as any medium or manual of instruction, including those in electronic format, which contains a systematic presentation of the principles of a subject and which constitutes a major instructional vehicle for that subject.
(6) In addition to the authority granted in this chapter, local school boards shall make available to the parents or legal guardians of any children of school age who reside in the school district administered by the school board, upon request, any textbooks on the state surplus inventory list. The parent or legal guardian is responsible for the return of the textbook(s) to the local school district upon completion of the textbook(s) use. Failure to return the textbook(s) to the school district will result in the parents or legal guardians being responsible for compensating the school district for the fair market value of the textbook(s).
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2013.
